The Sweet Trade
by KeybladeBanditJing
Summary: AU. After being captured and pressed into service by a band of pirates, Edward and Alphonse have to learn to adjust to pirate life... or be left for dead.
1. The Reluctant Pirates

The engagement had been short and successful, Hughes mused to himself. The men were getting better. The massive square-rigger they had looted was surprisingly undermanned, and when the crew had descended upon it most of its men, including their coward of a captain, had taken to the lifeboats rather than fight, leaving only a few men to defend the ship, most of which now either lay dead or mortally wounded on the now sinking boat, save for two young men, which, judging by their remotely similar appearances, Hughes guessed, had to be brothers or family of some sort. He watched the captain look over the two prisoners as he counted and divided up the booty for distribution among the crew later.

The taller of the two boys looked calm, but not subdued. Bronze-gold eyes followed the captain's every move from behind a shock of light brown hair with mild interest and a sort of detached curiosity. Hughes nodded to himself. The boy obviously had no doubts about his strength, which he had shown in his ability to fight, but he also knew how to choose his battles, which Hughes had also seen when the boy had almost nonchalantly tossed his gulley to the deck after wounding and even downing a couple men only to find many more taking their place. This boy was smart, knowing when to fight and when to surrender, and had even calmly held his hands out to Jean Havoc, one of the ship's boatswains, when he had approached the boy with shackles and manacles, calmly resigning himself to the fact that, for the moment at least, he was a prisoner of the pirates that had attacked his ship, and he now sat calmly on the deck with his shackled hands folded in his lap, gazing up at the captain with what now seemed almost to be a reserved indifference.

Not so the other boy. Fiery bright gold eyes glared up at the captain from behind a mussed curtain of bangs nearly the same shade of gold as those eyes. This one had no doubts about his strength either, but unlike the taller of the two, he wasn't afraid to show it. At first glance his fighting style had been wild and reckless, but he had severely injured several men, appropriating for himself three full brace of pistols and even a cutlass in addition to the gulley he already had, all without suffering a scratch. The boy was dangerous in a fight, and a good one to have on one's side, but his will was as wild as his fight, and they had had to go so far as to drop a heavy boarding net over him before he could even be approached. He had continued to fight even after they had shackled him and confiscated his weapons, and one man was still nursing a nasty bump on his head from when the boy had swung a chain that they had tried to bind him with, and he now sat before the captain appearing to be more a pile of ropes and chains with a head than a bound man.

The captain calmly spared his less cooperative prisoner a glance, who returned the stare with a look so full of hatred and defiance that some of the men behind the captain took a fearful step back and even Hughes caught himself flinching at his gaze. If looks could kill, they'd all be throwing their lifeless captain overboard to his final rest if he were a lesser man. But Roy Mustang was no such man. He held the boy's gaze with such indifference it only seemed to serve to anger the boy further. Finally Mustang scoffed, tossing his head to remove a stray lock of his short black hair from his eyes before shifting his glance to the calmer boy, then back to the other again.

"Your names," he calmly stated. The calm boy blinked, while the other one offered no reaction at all. Mustang glared at them both. "Answer a man! Your names!"

"Alphonse," the calm one replied quietly. "Alphonse Elric."

Mustang nodded once, then turned to the other boy. "And you?"

His only response was another glare, then he lowered his head and stared resolutely at the deck.

Mustang's eyes narrowed. "You a mute, boy?"

Slowly he raised his head and turned his piercing gold eyes back up to the captain. "No," he growled, so low that everyone near him but Mustang and Alphonse shrank back. Hughes raised an eyebrow. This boy wasn't much physically, as he was rather small, but his strength and aura appeared frightening enough for even some of the bravest men on board. He couldn't help but notice that while he hadn't expected Mustang to be rattled, the boy who identified himself as Alphonse made no reaction whatsoever to the boy beside him.

"Your name, then," Mustang replied. "Out with it."

The boy's eyes, which had sense lowered back to the deck again, raised back up to the captain, and for a moment it looked like he was going to answer. Until he spat on Mustang's boot.

The entire ship went silent. Roy Mustang, like any other pirate captain, was a man that demanded respect, and something like this would get any member of his crew in serious danger. Mustang raised an eyebrow at the boy, who responded with an almost feral grin.

Alphonse sighed. "Brother…"

Mustang's attention turned to Alphonse. "Your brother, is he?" He asked calmly, and Hughes could have sworn he heard a touch of amusement in the captain's voice. "His name, then? Since he was so kind as to give one of my boots a much-needed spit shine?"

Alphonse would have responded, but his reply broke into another exasperated sigh when his brother spat on Mustang's other boot.

Mustang calmly spared the boy, whose grin had grown wider, a glance before turning back to Alphonse. "Well now both boots, it seems. But I digress. Your brother's name, what be it?"

"Al…" the boy growled warningly.

Alphonse gave his brother a look that clearly told him to shut up before turning back to Mustang. "His name is Edward, sir. Edward Elric."

Edward's head jerked to his brother and offered a slightly less powerful glare, which Alphonse promptly ignored.

Mustang smiled slightly. "Sir? A prisoner on my ship already addressing me as if I were his captain?"

Alphonse cocked his head at Mustang. "Well, you haven't killed us like the rest of the crew, you brought us off a sinking ship, and we seem to be the only two spared, and you haven't thrown us into the hold, so it doesn't seem you're going to sell us, so one would assume you have a use for us. Sir."

Mustang laughed out loud. "Well, now. What use do you think we could have for you? I doubt your young brother here would willingly do anything other than sit in chains."

Alphonse looked genuinely confused at this "Young brother?"

Mustang blinked. "Is he not your younger brother?"

Edward's head slowly rose, stopping halfway up to the captain. Only Alphonse noted the venomous expression now on his brother's face.

Alphonse shook his head. "No, sir. I'm the younger brother."

Mustang looked from Alphonse, to Edward, then back to Alphonse. "Certainly doesn't seem like it. You seem to be the mature one, and you're taller than he is by at least a head."

Edward's head snapped up the rest of the way, his eyes now flashing in a barely contained rage. He lunged towards Mustang, momentarily forgetting the heavy chains and ropes he was bound in, which only earned him a small rise off the floor and then a quick collapse as he landed hard on his shoulder about six inches from where he had been sitting, screaming oath after oath and if one would listen over his screams of rage, they could hear the words small, tiny, short, and other similar words here and there.

Mustang calmly waited until the boy settled down, and stopped screaming, then turned to Alphonse with a questioning eyebrow raised.

Alphonse, who had kept his head lowered in apparent embarrassment of his brother's behavior until the screaming had stopped, looked back up at the captain. "You'll have to excuse him sir, but he IS my older brother, and he's… rather sensitive about his height."

"So I see," Mustang replied, glancing down at Edward, who was still muttering curses under his breath. "Well now, young Alphonse," he continued, turning his attention back to the younger boy. "We do in fact have a use for you. As you've likely noticed, my crew is rather small. You have both shown excellent fighting capability, and you, especially, the ability to keep your head in extremely dangerous situations. What say you, then, to joining us in the Sweet Trade?"

Alphonse shrugged. "I don't see how we're really in a position to have a choice, sir."

"Very well. Mister Havoc, release young Mister Elric here."

Havoc did as he was told, cautiously overstepping Edward, and Alphonse stood to his full height, shaking out his cramped legs. Hughes stepped forward then, looking him up and down before calling for the ship's gunner, whom Alphonse was surprised to see was a woman. She examined him the same way Hughes had, then nodded before turning to Mustang.

"He should make a good powder monkey, sir. I'll take him and see if he has any potential for a gunner as well."

Mustang nodded. "You have your job before you, Mister Elric. Miss Hawkeye will show you the ropes and see how you do. Everyone pulls their weight on this ship, you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now what of your brother?"

Edward, who stopped muttering when Alphonse had been released, glared up at Mustang

"Little rat needs a bloody attitude adjustment before we do anything with him," a voice rang out from the crew.

Hughes grinned at Mustang. "Didn't the surgeon and carpenter want an assistant?"

A loud guffaw rose from the men who had heard the first mate's comment.

"Yeah, that'll do!"

"Give 'im to Winry!"

"Winry'll straighten him out good!"

Mustang nodded. "Winry it is, then." He knelt down to look a now livid Edward in the face. "Looks like the crew has unanimously voted you to be Winry's new assistant. May God have mercy on your poor soul." He patted Edward on the shoulder twice before rising and ordering Edward released. No one moved. Mustang glared at Havoc. "Mister Havoc, I gave an order!"

Havoc nervously approached Edward and unlocked the heaviest chain that weighed him down. As soon as it was off, Edward sprang to his feet, still shackled, manacled, and tied, but able to move, and with a yell, charged Mustang, who sidestepped the enraged boy and kicked him in the small of the back, collapsing him to the deck once more. He dragged himself back to his feet, but a jerk of the rope around his knee by a man in the crowd behind him sent him back to the ground. Many of the men had drawn their weapons, still somewhat afraid of the boy, but a cry from Alphonse stopped them.

Alphonse stepped forward and knelt beside Edward. A few words were exchanged between the brothers, Edward's replies beginning as growled curses, but eventually quieting to words before Edward relaxed and Alphonse stood. "May I have the keys?"

Havoc hesitated, and looked to Mustang, who looked to Alphonse.

"He won't resist, but he won't let anyone but me unchain him."

Mustang nodded to Havoc, who tossed the keys to Alphonse. He knelt down and released his brother, who stood, tossed his hair from his face, and tied it back with a string he pulled from his shirt before turning to Mustang. "So which one of you is this bastard I'm supposed to report to?"

"Winry's below decks, patching up from the cannon fire from your ship." Hughes replied. "Follow me."

Edward spared a glance to Mustang, and with a final look to his brother, followed the first mate, glaring at any of the pirates who stood in his way, who quickly moved from his path.

Once they were below, Hughes led Edward through a maze of wood and… pipes? On a ship like this? Edward frowned in confusion before Hughes spoke up. "I'll warn you now, Winry doesn't take anything from anyone. Might not take very kindly to your attitude."

Edward scoffed. "I'm sure I can take anything he can dish out."

Hughes chuckled softly at Edward's reply. Edward glared at the first mate's back.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing," Hughes replied, still shaking with silent laughter. "You'll see when you meet Winry."

He opened a door and the noise level instantly increased. Edward could tell there had been a leak or two in the ship by the humidity, but since he heard no rushing water, assumed the leaks to be patched. He glanced at a patch in the hull near where he stood. It was obviously done in a hurry, as every patch job at sea was, but the craftsmanship and attention to detail were very nice. That patch wasn't going to give any time soon. He had to admit that Winry was very good at what he did.

"Winry!" Hughes called. "You down here?"

A gloved hand slipped through a hole in the wood paneling above Hughes's head and tapped him on the shoulder. He glanced up and grinned. "We found you an assistant."

The hand withdrew and Winry's head poked through the hole the hand had came through and looked at Edward, who froze, now understanding why Hughes had laughed at his first response. Wide blue eyes stared at him from under a red bandanna that bound back some very long blond hair, save two locks that framed her face.

Winry was a woman.

She frowned, scrutinizing him. He glared back.

Finally, she shrugged and her head withdrew back up into the ceiling. "Guess he'll have to do. Put him to work pitching over the patches I made. And tell the captain to stop going after ships with so many cannons! I can't hold this ship together on patches alone. If he keeps this up, we're going to have to go into port and get the whole bloody hull replaced!"

"Yes ma'am," Hughes replied, and with a muttered "good luck" to Edward, took his leave.

Edward sighed. Alphonse had made him promise to at least TRY to work with these pirates, but to work under a woman? He growled to himself before glaring back up at the hole Winry was behind. "So where's the damn pitch at?"

An annoyed sigh. "Right behind you, you bean."

Edward froze. "What was that?"

"Winry's head popped through the hole again and regarded him with annoyance. "Bean. Sprout. Shrimp. Take your pick. I've got more."

Edward snapped. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TINY BARNACLE YOU'D LIKE TO SCRAPE OFF THE SHIP?"

Winry slid back up into the ceiling. "YOU, NOW GET TO WORK!"

A hammer flew through another hole near Edward and hit him square on the back of the head. He picked it back up and threw it back through the hole it came from, and was disappointed to hear only a hollow thump as it only hit the wood of the ship instead of his intended target. Growling more to himself, he grabbed the bucket of pitch and a brush and headed for the patches that weren't already pitched over, grumbling the whole way and feeling a large bump forming where the hammer had hit him.

"And shut up, will you?" Winry called from where she was. Edward whirled, but clenched his teeth, took a deep breath, and went back to the patch he was working on.

Alphonse was going to get a very thorough complaining out of Edward the next time he saw him.

* * *

Engagement: In the written articles (rules) of many pirate crews, an attack on another ship is commonly referred to as an engagement.

Square-Rigger: Some of the largest ships afloat during the time period this story is supposed to take place, a square-rigger is a huge three-masted ship that is pretty slow, but supports a LOT of firepower and could hold a crew much larger than many other ships. They were usually used by merchants and were common targets for pirate attacks.

Gulley: A common-issue short sword, with a blade about as long as from your elbow to your wrist. Used by pirates and common seamen alike

Boatswain: An officer of sorts. Pirate crews had more than one usually; they rank just below the first mate, and their job is to keep the decks clean and maintain the sails and rigging.

Brace: I'm still a little confused on the term "brace of pistol," but I think it just refers to a loaded pistol in its holdster.

Cutlass: Weapon of choice for the pirate that could get one. A long, single edged and slightly curved sword designed for hacking at an opponent rather than fencing with him.

Boarding Net: Simply a large net made of heavy ropes and weighted down on the edges that pirates often dropped on the crews of ships they attacked to spread confusion.

Throwing a dead captain overboard: When a pirate was captured by the law, they were often hanged by thier neck until they died, then their bodies were hung above the sea in chains and a custom made iron cage they were measured for before their deaths, until their bodies rotted away, a process that usually took two to three years. No pirate ever wanted to suffer such an indignity, and many captains ordered thier crew to throw them overboard if they were ever killed in battle to avoid being hanged in chains.

"...it doesn't seem you're going to sell us.": Pirates often didn't take prisoners, but if they did, they were usually sold off somewhere as slaves.

The "Sweet Trade": Pirate slang for a life of piracy.

Gunner: Thier position on the crew should be fairly obvious, and they were often the most prized members of a pirate crew.

Powder Monkey: Basically, someone who loads, primes, cleans, and pretty much takes care of all the guns and cannons on board. They're about the same rank and status as a cabin boy. Al's got his work cut out for him.

Carpenter: Usually a rather unsung member of the crew, but every crew had one. They had to. Carpenters quite literally kept the ship afloat.

Surgeon: Not every ship had one, but sometimes one was captured and put (sometimes forcefully) to service. They didn't perform very major surgery, but they would remove shrapnel, bullet holes, grapeshot (small cannon shot, basically buck shot for a cannon), etc.

Why Ed assumes Winry to be a man: A rather well-known fact even now was that it was considered bad luck for a woman to be on board a ship, let alone hold a position on one.

Pitch: Basically tar. Used to fill the cracks between the planks the ship is made of.


	2. Mutiny of the Mouth

A shrill whistle woke Edward up the next morning. He grumbled and rolled over in his hammock, pulling the thin blanket he'd been given over his head. It was too early to get up.

In a few seconds, he wasn't up, but he was out of his hammock. He painfully sat up from the hard wood floor and glared up at Winry, who had flipped his hammock, unceremoniously dumping him on the floor.

"Breakfast time," she said. "Get up."

He growled a curse or two and dragged himself to his feet, staring at his hammock for a while before angrily flipping it back over and throwing the blanket back into it.

"Not a morning person, are we?"

Edward glared at Winry some more, watching as she tied her bandanna on and pulled her hair through the back.

"Come on, already." She said, heading up the stairs to the deck.

Edward pulled his shirt on and trudged after her while tying his hair back. "No wonder it's bad luck to have a woman on a ship," he muttered.

"I heard that!" Winry called down.

--------------

The galley was rather crowded. Some men were wide awake and laughing back and forth over stories, others looked barely awake, sipping coffee or grog between bites of hard tack and dried meat. Winry banged the door open and headed straight for the counter, exchanging greetings with various men and offering a "good morning" to Hawkeye, who returned the greeting. Edward shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped in after her.

The whole galley turned their heads to him as soon as he crossed the threshold. He paused for only a moment, looking around at all the faces staring at him, then scowled and walked slowly towards the counter, ignoring the stares and comments from both voices he remembered from the night before and others he didn't recognize.

"There he is."

"Looks a lot tamer'n he was."

"Knew Winry'd straighten 'im out."

"Wonder how many welts he's got on 'is 'ead?"

The last comment brought the whole galley to laughter. By now Edward was at the counter beside Winry, and he turned and calmly glared at the room over his shoulder, which hesitantly went silent. He was brought out of his thoughts when Winry shoved a plate at him, threw a couple pieces of meat, one piece of hard tack, an apple, and a lemon slice on it, then shoved a mug of coffee in his other hand.

"Sit where you want," she said, getting herself a mug of ale while muttering about the lack of freshwater available. "But you better be ready to get back to work in an hour."

Ed grumbled wordlessly at her and looked around for his brother before heading back to the corner table Alphonse shared with a couple of other men. Edward recognized one as Boatswain Havoc, and he was playing cards with a larger man with very close-cropped red hair that Edward didn't recognize, with a smaller man no taller than Alphonse watching the game through a pair of thin glasses that kept sliding down his nose, forcing him to keep pushing them back up every once in a while. Alphonse, who sat between Havoc and the other man, would occasionally lean to either side, glancing at each man's hand between simply watching the cards on the table. Edward blinked when he noticed a small pile of cards in front of Alphonse. Apparently he was playing too, but had already folded.

Edward found himself scowling. Apparently Alphonse had had a better night than he had. He looked pretty rested and seemed to be on friendly terms with these three men, and had even patted Havoc's arm consolingly when the other man defeated him. He sighed and plunked down next to his brother, who grinned and offered to let him play, despite the wary looks from the other men at the table. He shook his head and gnawed on a strip of the meat Winry had all but thrown at him, casting a withering look to the larger man who kept glancing at him. "What?" He growled through a mouthful of dried meat.

The man shrugged. "Nuthin'. Just heard Winry got herself an assistant. I'm assuming that's you, eh?" The man seemed to take the sudden deepening of Edward's scowl at the mention of Winry's name as a yes. "Name's Heymans Breda. One of a number of boatswains here on the ship. You already know Havoc, and the shy one over there's Kain Fuery. He's the navigator."

The man with glasses pushed some of his short black hair back and waved.

Edward nodded curtly at Fuery, and at a jab in the ribs from his brother, muttered his own introduction.

"Edward." He groused, assuming Alphonse had already told the men their last name.

"All right then, Edward. Fancy a game?" Breda replied, dealing out cards to himself, Havoc, and Alphonse.

"No," he muttered, but found himself looking over at Alphonse's hand when he picked the cards up from the table. After a few rounds Edward wrinkled his nose at Alphonse's hand, and Alphonse smiled ironically and lowered his cards to the table. "I fold."

Breda grinned. "Again? Cards not treatin' ya as well as they were last night, eh?"

Alphonse shrugged. "Guess not," he chuckled. "I was never really that good, anyway. Last night must have been luck."

Edward bit back the urge to yell incredulously that while he'd spent the night patching up the ship's hull and fixing various pipes, Alphonse had been playing cards, and bit more savagely into his meat.

"You know Brother… the lemon will soften it up, and it'll keep you from getting sick…"

Edward glared at the lemon before squeezing the life out of it over the remaining strip of meat and shoving the meat into his mouth.

Breda watched the display over his cards with a hint of amusement. "Winry givin' you a bad time?"

"Wench is a nightmare," he growled around a mouth full of meat now tasting rather sour from the lemon juice. "Uses her tools on my head more than her work."

Fuery cringed. "Don't let her hear you call her that…"

Havoc shuddered "Yeah. Last man that called her a wench was out cold in two seconds flat."

"Long story short, kid," Breda went on. "No one here envies your position. Winry's definitely something else, but this ship would be in Davy Jones's locker already if not for her. She's a damn good carpenter and a damn good surgeon, but God help the man who crosses her. They say even the captain's a little afraid of her. But then the captain's also a little skittish around the gunner, too."

Alphonse cocked his head at Breda. "I've been meaning to ask, but I didn't think it polite with Miss Hawkeye around last night," he glanced over at her to be sure she wasn't listening before leaning a little closer to Breda. "Most crews think it bad luck to have women aboard a ship, yet you have two. Is there any reason why?"

Breda laughed out loud at this, startling Alphonse a little, who leaned back sharply and collided with his brother, who simply scowled at the back of his head.

It was Havoc who then answered Alphonse's question. "Hawkeye and Rockbell are proof that that belief is bilge. I've never seen a better gunner, man or woman, and if Winry's not down patching up the ship or the crew, she can fight just as well as any other man, and she has the most accurate throwing arm out of the whole crew. Women bad luck on a ship. Hah!"

"Could've fooled me." Edward muttered under his breath, though he had to agree with Havoc on her throwing arm. The night before she'd thrown all manner of tools at him at various times when he was getting on her nerves, and no matter how hard he tried, he hadn't been able to dodge a single one of them.

The conversation and card games carried on without him, which he didn't mind at all. He still wasn't very pleased with the idea of associating with pirates, and was no less than shocked that Alphonse, of all people, was getting along with them like they were old friends. He eventually shrugged and let Al have his fun, having long since learned to trust his brother's judgment of character, so these three men might not have been that bad… maybe. He looked critically over the galley. Pretty much the usual pirate crew, none of them looking all that trustworthy. Alphonse had long ago beaten into him that you couldn't always judge people by how they looked… but these were PIRATES.

His gaze settled on Winry a ways back from the table he was at, sitting and talking to Hawkeye. From the snippets of conversation he could hear over the noise of the galley in general, he could tell it was about him and his brother. Winry rolled her eyes as she spoke and Hawkeye chuckled quietly. Edward scowled, willing to bet anything the conversation was currently about him. He sighed and let his head fall onto the table in front of him. Alphonse blinked and looked up from the current card game, which he was actually doing pretty well in, as Havoc had folded and it was currently him against Breda.

"Brother?"

"Hey, mate," Havoc joked. "We usually don't get drunk around here until at least noon."

Edward hadn't heard either of them. "I'm on a pirate ship… being forced to be part of the crew… I work under a woman…"

"So do I, Brother…" Alphonse pointed out. "It's not that bad."

"You don't work for a she-devil."

"Well… maybe if you got to know her-"

"No. Way. In. Hell."

"Speaking of hell…" Havoc muttered.

Edward flinched when a gloved hand landed on his back. "Hour's up. Let's go."

Slowly he lifted his head from the table and glared at her, then grabbed his dishes and tossed them in the barrel by the door he'd noticed other men tossing dishes into. He caught a barely muttered "good luck" from Breda as he followed Winry out of the galley and back down below decks, still growling to himself, but now awake and at least he wasn't hungry anymore.

"You did good on the patches last night, and all but one of the pipes you were working on works now, I'll have to see what's wrong with that one… probably clogged again…" she said as she led him through the maze that was the ship under the deck, hopping over cracks and ducking under pipes without even glancing up at where she was going, talking to both Edward and herself. "Today I'll have you cleaning up the blood room, seeing as you put most of the men who were there last night in it, and after that Hughes said he'd need some help moving cargo around, so you'll go do that… and we'll see how it goes from there, if there's any day left after that."

Normally Edward would like to think he had a decent control over himself. Sure, even he could admit that his temper needed work, but he was pretty confident that he could keep the rest of himself under control. So he was in no way prepared for his mouth to outright mutiny on him.

"Anything else for your new slave, wench?"

Winry stopped and slowly turned to face him. "What was that?" she growled.

_Oh, bloody hell. Dangerous territory. About face, about face!_

Of course, his mouth still wasn't listening, and chose that time to remember her comment about his height the night before, and twist it around for its own use.

"Wench. Skirt. Piece. Take your pick. I've got more."

Edward ended up doing his chores that day with a massive headache and even some bruises on his back that Winry had not-so-gently bandaged before putting him to work.

* * *

Galley: Mess hall, cafeteria, whatever.

Hard tack: Sort of a cracker/biscuit/thing that was the staple food for long voyages, often infested with weevils, though it was usually eaten in that state, anyway.

Coffee and Ale: Water was scarcely available on a ship, and usually ale or grog (a mixture of rum, water, and some other spices and flavorings) was what you drank. Some lucky crews had coffee; Ed's coffee was likely stolen from the merchant ship looted the night before.

"... it'll keep you from getting sick...": Scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C, was a common problem on long voyages, and most ships had a good store of lemons or oranges, both high in vitamin C, to try to stave it off.

Davy Jones's locker: Come on, people... you should know what this means...

Bilge: An area near the botton of the hull of a ship, usually full of rank water, though the context Havoc uses it in is another form of pirate slang, meaning foolish talk. To put it bluntly, Havoc's use of the word "bilge" could easily be translated to "bullshit."

Blood room: Not a very accurate term, but I've seen it used a couple times here and there. Basically the surgeon's room, where the surgeon does their work. Thus called because there was obviously usually a good amount of blood in there.

A little shorter than the last chapter, I apologise... bow


	3. Of Old Captains

"Just toss that one over there. Shouldn't hurt it too much."

Edward complied, lifting a heavy bag of rice and heaving it onto a pile of five more, Hughes scribbling notes in a small logbook here and there. He glanced over at Edward after jotting down a figure or two and nodded. "Go ahead and take a break for a bit."

Edward nodded, collapsing on the floor where he stood, staring up at the ceiling from his position on his back. Hughes chuckled softly as he rolled a keg over to use as a seat.

"Winry running you ragged, is she?"

Edward scowled at the ceiling now. "Only when she's not throwing tools at me or beating me with a hammer."

"So that's what happened to your back, then?"

Edward's not so masked growl seemed to be answer enough for him.

Hughes chuckled. "Don't let it get to you too much. She's actually a really sweet kid once you get to know her."

Edward snorted as he sat up. "I'd really rather not, sir."

Hughes raised an eyebrow at Edward's statement, but chuckled again at his formality. "Hey, if Roy's not around, you don't have to bother with all the 'sir' crap. Name's Maes. Or you can just call me Hughes."

Edward blinked. "Right… Maes."

Hughes smirked back at him. "Alright if I call you Ed, then?"

Edward blinked. "I… guess…"

"Alright then, Ed," Hughes replied, wiping his glasses on his shirt. "You been having problems getting along with Winry, then?"

Edward sighed and flopped back down on the deck. "Aye. She's a bloody demon."

Hughes regarded Edward for a moment. "You know… she says the same about you."

Edward sat back up. "What?"

Hughes nodded. "Yeah. And seeing how you treat her sometimes, I'm inclined to agree. Though I'm also inclined to agree with you, after seeing how she sometimes treats you. Fact is, we're all on the same boat, both figuratively and literally, and we all have to learn to at least tolerate each other if we all want to survive out here."

Edward frowned. "So she thinks the same of me…"

"In my professional opinion, you both hate each other. But can I say something?"

Edward looked up at Hughes expectantly.

Hughes sighed before glancing back at the door to the hold before leaning closer to Edward, who leaned closer to Hughes, sensing he didn't want this heard by anyone close by.

"Winry…" Hughes started. "She's been through a lot. She's earned her keep here just as much as any other man here, but that's not just because her grandmother used to own this ship and captain this crew before she swallowed the anchor and turned the ship and position of captain over to Roy. Winry can take anything the men can dish out and heap on some of her own when giving back. But sometimes she's not as strong as she seems to be. I'm the one she comes to when she can't take anymore and needs to just get away from the world for a while. She's like a daughter to me, and I do my best to take care of her when I can, but I can't always be there. She won't tell me her past, but it's not really my business anyway. I just try to be there and listen when she needs me. So not to sound threatening or anything, but if you do anything to hurt her, I will personally see to a punishment that will have you missing all those bumps and bruises she gives you."

Edward lowered his gaze to the floor, looking a little like a scolded child. Hughes rested a hand on his shoulder and his gaze snapped back up to the first mate, a little fearful. Hughes smiled.

"You look like you and your brother have been through a lot, too."

Edward's gaze lowered to the floor again. "Yeah…" he blinked and looked back up. "Wait… this ship was captained by her grandmother?"

Hughes nodded. "Do you think any of us would have named this ship the _Panthress_? Roy likely would have renamed it himself if the old bat hadn't forbidden him from doing so. At least she let him fly his own flag."

Edward glanced up through the grate above him on the deck. A black flag with a white salamander over a red flame fluttered from the top of the main mast. He wondered briefly what the former captain's flag was. He'd have to ask Winry later. If she was in the mood to talk to him without bashing his skull in with that damned hammer of hers. "So how many were here under the old command?" He paused, then, realizing what he'd just said, added, "No pun intended."

Hughes laughed out loud at the comment, then replied, "Pretty much everyone you see here was under old Pinako. Just Winry, you, and your brother Al have come aboard since." Hughes leaned closer and in a dramatic whisper, added, "Just don't mention that name around the cap'n. I think he's still terrified of her."

Before Edward could reply, Winry burst into the hold. "Hughes! Tell the captain we need to make for port! Now! Edward, come with me, hurry!"

Hughes was instantly on his feet. "Best do as she says. She doesn't yell like that unless something's wrong. See you later, Ed." And he was gone, leaving a dumbstruck Edward still sitting on the floor. Winry's "move it!" got him into action though, and he scrambled up off the floor and hurried after her.

She shot through the pipes and struts of the ships structure like a monkey. Edward struggled to keep up with her, but only gained ground on her when they emerged on the lower gun deck, giving him enough space to pick up speed and catch up to her.

"What's going on?" he shouted as he caught up to her.

"We've sprung a major leak near the starboard bow," she yelled as she yanked open the door at the end of the gun deck and bolted down the stairs two at a time, grabbing tools and shoving planks into his arms as she spoke. "I need your help patching it before we get to a port so we can get a decent repair job done on it."

"You need my—whoa," he muttered as he nearly dropped a plank. "How big is this leak?"

"Pretty big," Winry replied, and Edward noticed for the first time that she was soaked. "I tried patching it myself, but…" she gestured to her soaked state. "I need your help."

Edward looked her over for a moment before he set his jaw and nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

A shadow of a grin appeared on her face. "Follow me."

She led him down to the bilge, which was now knee-deep in water. Winry half waded, half swam to the leak. Edward tucked the planks Winry had given him under one arm and followed as best he could. When he caught up to her and found the leak, he let out a low whistle. "Good Lord… that's as big around as the bowsprit." He murmured, even though he knew he couldn't be heard over the rush of water.

"Hurry!" Winry yelled. Edward looked over the planks under his arm before finding a suitable one to start with and setting the others on a shelf that hadn't been submerged yet. Winry was on her knees in front of the leak and he got down behind her, holding the board down with both hands while Winry nailed it in. The water pressure was strong, and he could see why she needed his help. He was barely able to hold the board down himself.

He had to admire the speed and skill that Winry had been able to nail in a board underwater in as she was done in just a few seconds. He waited until she told him to let go before reaching for another board before sliding it down and holding it as close to the first board as he could. Winry started nailing again, and he silently wished she'd hurry. Not only was the water pressure getting stronger as the hole got smaller, but the water was up to Winry's chin and his shoulders, and it was getting harder to brace against the floor, because he could feel himself starting to float.

Thankfully, Winry was done quickly and the third board Edward slid into place completely covered the leak. Winry quickly nailed it down and had Edward grab the two longest planks. She nailed them down over the patch, perpendicular to the three boards that covered the leak, forming a sort of reinforcement bar to hold the patch. After this was done, she sighed before looking over her shoulder at Edward, who still had his arms on either side of her, not holding the boards down, but hesitant to let them go.

"Go above and tell Havoc and Breda to man the pumps if they haven't already. Then get back down here and help me clean up."

Edward nodded, hesitantly letting go of the boards before sloshing to his feet. "You okay?" he asked as he stood. "You sound a little shaky."

Winry waved him off. "I'm fine, just a little winded. Go. If you see the captain, tell him we've got it patched up, but we still have a slow leak and need to make for port as soon as we can."

Edward nodded and waded through now nearly waist high water and some floating debris to the stairs, and upon reaching the top and opening the door, came face to chest with Roy. Edward glanced up at him before stepping aside to let him in.

"Mr. Elric," Roy nodded in greeting before stepping down to the last step above water.

"… Captain." Edward replied, still coming down off the adrenaline of a few minutes ago.

"Report." Roy said over his shoulder. Edward swallowed.

"We had a rather large leak-"

"Obviously." Roy replied nonchalantly, looking around the flooded bilge.

"Aye, sir… but we still have a slow leak and Winry says we should make for port as soon as possible-"

"Which I have done since Hughes relayed Miss Rockbell's first message to me."

Edward took a deep breath to try to quell the anger that was slowly rising at being constantly interrupted before continuing. "And she wanted Breda and Havoc on the pumps to clear the bilge out."

Roy nodded. "As they are, as well as Falman and young Mr. Elric." With that, Roy turned to face Edward. "Anything else, Mr. Elric?"

Edward shook his head. "No sir."

Roy nodded once again and stepped up to Edward's level before clapping a hand on the younger man's wet shoulder. "Excellent work. Carry on."

Edward blinked up at Roy at that, and Roy flashed a shadow of a smile before continuing past him, leaving Edward unsure of what to do, so he settled for a weak "aye, sir" as Winry climbed up to dry land beside him.

"I heard the captain."

"Yeah. He's got four men on the pumps and we're already on our way to a port."

Winry let out a long breath. "Good."

Edward glanced back in the direction of the leak. "How did that happen, anyway?"

Winry sighed. "Wood rot. Just got too weak to hold any more." She plunked down on the stairs beside his feet and took off her sandals, shaking them out before setting them on the stairs to dry. "I told the captain over and over that he shouldn't push the ship like this. When we hit port I'm going to start looking for a decent shipwright to replace the whole damn hull. We can afford it and Lord knows we need it."

Edward sighed, sitting down next to her. "Sounds like a long time at port."

At a cheerful whoop from above that Edward recognized as Hughes's voice, Winry grinned. "Not if we're making port where I think we are by that yell. I'd give us a week at most."

Edward stared at Winry. "A week? How? And what's with Hughes?"

Winry chuckled. "You'll see. And Hughes is just happy because he's going to get to see his wife and daughter."

"Hughes is married!"

Winry grinned. "Yup. And consider yourself lucky. You'll get to meet the old captain of this ship."

Edward's eyes widened. "Your grandmother?"

"Ah," Winry replied. "So Hughes told you. Aye, we're going to where my grandmother decided to swallow the anchor and stay. No better place to live for an old pirate."

Edward nodded, absently watching the water level slowly drop as the pumps drained the ship. He didn't move until he jumped a little when a blanket was dropped over his shoulders. He glanced over at Winry who shrugged as she pulled another blanket over her own shoulders. "You were shivering."

He watched her for a while, but she had turned to watch the water level. He pulled the blanket closer around himself. "Thanks," he murmured.

Winry glanced at him, but it was his turn to stare at the water. "What was that?"

Edward looked at her sideways through his drenched bangs and nodded to the blanket, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "For the blanket… thanks."

"Oh," she replied, now also blushing a little. "You're welcome."

An awkward silence stretched between them, broken occasionally by the water sloshing around as it drained.

"So…" Edward asked after a while. "Where exactly are we going?"

"Port Royal," she replied. "It's the closest port to us at the moment, and also the best place to lie low while we get the _Panthress_ fixed."

"Port Royal," Edward mumbled. "Figures." He sighed. "How long till we get there?"

"We should be there by tomorrow morning. Don't get too comfortable. It's going to be our job to watch this leak and make sure the ship doesn't sink."

Edward sighed and tried to ignore the shiver that ran through him. "Can we at least go above into the sun to dry off?"

Winry nodded. "You go ahead."

Edward stood and looked down at her. "This boat means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

Winry nodded. "It's… more or less in the family. It was my grandmother's ship. She'd want it to live up to its old reputation."

Edward nodded before dropping his blanket around her shoulders over hers. "Just don't get sick. You _are_ the closest thing we have to a doctor, you know. Can't have you sick, too."

Winry rolled her eyes. "Yes, mum. I'll be in bed by sundown, too."

Edward rolled his eyes back at her before heading out the door and abovedeck.

* * *

The _Panthress_: Couldn't resist, really. It's a bit of a throwback to Dominic's feared reference of Pinako as "The Panthress of Resembool." Seemed like a name Pinako would find suitable for her ship.

Lower gun deck: Most ships had multiple gun decks, though the _Panthress_ only has two, the lower with the larger cannons.

Bilge: An area near the botton of the hull of a ship, usually full of rank water.

Bowsprit: The _Panthress_ is a four-master ship, meaning it has four masts: Tha main mast, the largest mast positioned in the center of the ship, the mizzen mast, near the rear (on the poop deck), the foremast, near the front, and the bowsprit, a sort of fourth mast that juts out at an angle straight ahead from the bow. The bowsprit isn't nearly as big around as the other three masts, but it's still pretty thick, so it was either a pretty decent-sized hole, or Edward was exaggerating. I'll let you choose.

Pumps: Most ships had a pump or two that were used to remove water from the ship to prevent it from sinking. They were rather primitive, but in most cases, they worked pretty well.

Shipwright: Basically a ship designer and/or repairman. And while replacing a ship's hull didn't happen very often at all, it was possible to do, but was usually a rather long and expensive process that usually wasn't deemed worth it, so those ships were often sunk in favor of a newer one.

"Swallow the anchor": Pirate slang for retiring from sea life. Very few pirates lived long enough to do this, so it's a rather major thing when one does.

Port Royal: No, I did not steal the location from _Pirates of the Carribean_. Port Royal, Jamaica was the most famous of many pirate ports, and was the "center" of pirate activity in the Carribean. And as a result it was a rather unruly and seedy place, with not much in the way of law enforcement, and often described as "the wickedest city on Earth." Port Royal was destroyed in 1692 by an earthquake, and was later rebuilt with a stronger government and a naval base, to ensure that pirates wouldn't land there again.


	4. Between Brothers

Alphonse glanced up from the pump he was manning as his older brother slogged to the deck, soaked and exhausted. Fuery took up residence at Alphonse's side of the pump to give the younger boy a break, which he thanked the man for before trotting up to his brother, who had seemingly hung himself over the railing to dry, his arms and head hanging limply over the edge while the rest of him slumped behind the railing. 

"That's dangerous, you know," Alphonse said, indicating Edward's position.

"Push off," Edward muttered back. "I can swim."

Ignoring the retort, Alphonse leaned his arms on the railing and rested his chin on his hands. "Did you hear where we're going?" He asked excitedly.

Edward scowled out at sea. "Aye. Port Royal. Let me find a container for my joy."

Alphonse shot him a look. "Come on, Brother. It's been a long time since we've been-"

"Don't even think about it, Al."

"But-"

Edward abruptly stood and rounded on his brother. "That… place is not home, Al. To you, maybe, but not I."

Alphonse frowned. "Why do you hate that place so much?"

Edward looked away at that. "Too many bad memories," he muttered. "Plus, how can I be proud to call the wickedest city on earth my home?"

Alphonse sighed. "We've had this exchange before. You can't choose where you were born, Brother."

Edward scowled at him before flopping himself back over the railing. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Alphonse stared at the side of Edward's head for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Is it… is it because of father?"

He got the expected result. Edward glared darkly at the sea. "I told you not to mention that… that bastard… ever again, Alphonse."

Instead of backing down, as he usually did at that reply, Alphonse chose to push on. "Why do you hate him so much?"

Edward slowly rose and stared darkly at his brother. "Because you were too young to remember when he left us and mum to fend for ourselves in a city like THAT. She died because of _him_."

"You can't blame that on-"

"Yes I can, Al."

"How can you-"

"Do you even know _how_ we managed to have enough money to live on, Al? Do you?"

Alphonse fell silent. He knew what the best, and only, job that someone as young as their mother could hope for. He looked back out to sea, trying to break his brother's angry stare.

Edward saw what Alphonse was thinking, and sighed. "I'm sorry, Al. But I have my reasons. He left us all to be a damn pirate, and we never heard from the dog again."

"That's why you don't like pirates," Alphonse quietly mused.

"Not entirely, but it's one reason, yes."

Alphonse looked back to the crew as those on the pumps worked to keep the ship afloat, Fuery and Falman conferred over a map, possibly to choose the fastest and safest route to Port Royal, Hawkeye was checking the cannons, as they were likely to face some opposition near the ports, as expected among pirates, and Mustang was looking over everyone, making sure they all did their respective jobs. "What about these pirates?" He asked tentatively.

Edward grudgingly lifted his head and followed his brother's gaze. He looked over them for a moment before shrugging and hanging himself back over the railing. "They seem like perfectly normal sea rats, but we've been more or less pressed into service. Not like I have much choice. Adding that I don't know many of them well because I spend most of my time belowdecks."

"What about Miss Rockbell?" Alphonse asked. "Surely you've gotten to know her well."

Edward snorted. "Unfortunately."

"Well?"

Edward scowled at Alphonse. "Well, what?"

"What do you think of her?"

"I think that if I don't dance the hempen jig from the law, she'll kill me herself someday. One can only hope that either will happen sooner."

Alphonse rolled his eyes. It was obvious that all his brother planned to do while abovedeck was dry off and sulk, so he left him to his thoughts and jogged off to help Hawkeye.

Edward glanced back at the direction his brother had run off to before looking back out to sea. He considered feeding the fish now, but he was pretty sure that Winry herself would drag him back aboard and punish him for even trying in addition to whatever bumps or bruises he would have sustained beforehand. Plus he had his brother to think about.

He sighed and buried his face in his arms. "Jolly Roger, indeed. I'm sure he's having a grand laugh at me right now."

----------------

"I can swim." - Believe it or not, most seagoing men at the time couldn't swim, so most that fell overboard drowned.

"Do you even know _how_ we managed to have enough money to live on?" - In a place as seedy as Port Royal, the best job most women could hope for was usually prostitution. The boys' mother was most likely forced into it to be able to take care of them.

"Sea rats" - Pirate slang. Another term for a pirate.

"Dance the hempen jig" - More pirate slang. To dance the hempen jig was to be hanged.

Jolly Roger - One of the theories as to why the pirate flag had that name was that it was a reference to Old Roger, which was another name for the devil. Edward's (emo) interpretation of the flag name is because he's pretty sure the devil himself is laughing at his streak of bad luck lately.


	5. Lessons from Dolphins

Winry had mercifully given him the rest of the day off, which he spent above deck, helping out wherever needed, mostly to get his mind off of things. He'd always loved the rigging on ships, and once he demonstrated this, was often called upon to scramble up or down it to pull this rope or tighten that knot or adjust that boom. Taking Alphonse and Hughes's advice, he interacted with the rest of the crew a little, talking to some when they were on break or when he shared his current task with them.

He already liked Hughes, and found a certain kinship in the bookish Fuery. While Havoc had very different interests than Edward and always had a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth, he was very friendly and they got along, despite Havoc's earlier trepidation when Edward was first brought on deck. He could see why Alphonse liked Hawkeye. She was very straightforward and to the point, and had a very similar personality to Edward's.

Mustang he outwardly loathed, but harbored a small respect for his abilities in captaining his ship and keeping control over such an odd crew. That respect was rarely ever shown, however, as Mustang seemed to enjoy nothing more than irritating Edward, and after a few hours seemed to be trying to time himself on how long it took to get a rise out of the boy.

Edward had to hide a satisfied smirk and smother his laughter when Mustang slunk away to confer with Fuery and a tall lanky navigator named Falman on their current route when Hawkeye had finally had enough of it and aimed a loaded pistol at Mustang's head, letting him know that she was sure he had more important things to do than hassle a deckhand.

Now, with the sun setting and Havoc relieving him of duty, he sat out on the bowsprit, enjoying the wind on his face as he watched the water glide by below him. The occasional dolphin would make a game of cutting in front of the ship, and he found himself chuckling to himself when one missed the timing and tumbled head over fluke to the ship's port, driven by the current and the movement of the ship. It quickly righted itself and came back to try its luck again, this time with success.

"Odd creatures, dolphins."

Edward jumped and whirled to see Winry leaning on the bow railing and staring down at the water, which had been stained red by the setting sun. "Some scholars claim them to be as intelligent as men," she continued on. "And they just may be, if not smarter."

Edward raised an eyebrow at her. He'd read the same thing once, but waited for her to continue on.

"Look at them. No riches, no fancy clothes, nothing but themselves, not knowing when, where, or even what they'll be eating next, and yet, they always seem so happy." She glanced up at Edward. "You see men in that condition all the time, and they always seem to be anything but happy."

Edward frowned, considering her words. "You say that like you think they have some sort of secret that we don't know."

She grinned. "What do you think it could be?"

He rolled his eyes and shrugged, turning back to the sea. "Hell if I know. They don't really seem to do much but play all the time. Intelligent or not, it hardly seems practical. They make a game out of everything."

Winry scowled at his back. "Why is that such a bad approach to life?"

For a while, Edward said nothing, but eventually mumbled back, "Good way to get killed."

"They're alive, aren't they?"

Edward whirled on her, still scowling. "What about you guys? No riches, no fancy clothes, not knowing much about how you'll eat… Aren't pirates in that situation constantly?"

Winry's scowl deepened. "Do we seem that way to you?"

Edward blinked, not expecting that question. He turned back out to sea. The sun had set completely, and the sky and the water were now dark. He thought for a moment. Were these pirates as miserable as most men in their condition? He didn't really know about their financial situation, but they didn't seem to have much in the way of clothes besides what they had on their backs, and when he had been tallying the cargo with Hughes, he saw that thanks to their last engagement (on his ship, no less), they were pretty good in the way of food, but that couldn't last very long. Most of the food on that ship had been packed for short travel for trade. It wouldn't be long before it all spoiled.

Hughes knew this, and he was sure Mustang knew it as well as most of the crew, but it didn't seem to dampen any of their spirits at all. And most of the people he had worked with today had been in pretty high spirits for seamen…

"No," he finally answered. "No one here seems that way."

"Do you know why?"

Edward glanced back at her, an eyebrow raised in question.

She grinned. "Look back at the dolphins."

He glanced back down at the dolphins, stared at them for a full quarter of an hour before he finally became frustrated and gave up. "And what the hell am I supposed to see?"

Winry grinned. "Look at them. Despite all that they go through, all that they don't have, there is something they _do_ have that most men in their condition don't."

Edward squinted back down at the dolphins, trying to see what it was Winry was talking about.

"Each other," she supplied for him. "They don't have much of anything, but they do have friends that they can trust and depend on. They know that through it all, someone's looking out for them."

Edward blinked, thought about it for a moment, then nodded. It made sense.

"You look out for your brother, don't you?"

"… Aye."

"And who looks out for you?"

Edward turned back to her, eyes narrowed slightly. "Myself."

Winry shook her head. "Not enough."

He scowled darkly at her. "It's good enough for me."

She shook her head again. "Still not enough."

His scowl deepened. "I can take care of myself."

Winry glared back at him. "Well, like it or not, you're a part of this crew, and both you and your brother have people to look after other than yourselves now. We're all looking out for you as it is."

He blinked at her sudden outburst, then glared at her and turned his back on her again, turning his glare on the horizon. "We didn't ask you to."

Winry sighed. "Look. We lost most of our crew in a huge storm a fortnight ago. We need all the people we can get. I know Roy would rather you two come willingly, but I also know that he's not above forcing you to stay…"

Edward grimaced at the last part. "Bastard…"

A biscuit slammed into the back of his head with a sharp _thwack_ before falling into the ocean and becoming prey to the dolphins below. "Well, tough. You're stuck with us. It's only fair that since we're all looking out for you that you look out for some of us every once in a while, aye? Fair trade, isn't it?"

Edward rolled his eyes, his head still smarting. How could she make a bloody _biscuit_ hurt that badly? He glanced back at her. "Equal trade. Since when to pirates play fair?"

This time the biscuit connected with his face. "We saved you and your brother! We could have just as easily left you both to die! Asking you to just watch our backs every once in a while is hardly extortion! I'd say you're getting off easy!"

Edward fumed; trying desperately to pick something to say out of the jumble his growing anger was making of his mind, but thought better of it and turned away.

Winry sighed and pushed off the railing. "Look. I know you don't like us. It's pretty obvious. But I've been watching you. You're very good on deck. You and your brother are both excellent sailors. I'm not Roy. I'm not forcing you to join us. I'm just asking. We need you both. We really do. Can't you at least try to tolerate us?"

Edward glanced back at her over his shoulder and sighed in frustration. "Fine," he mumbled.

Seeming to think that was all she was going to get out of him, she nodded and turned to leave. Edward watched her go before his mouth decided to mutiny on him one more time, and his body seemed to join the cause.

"Winry."

She turned back to see that he had hopped down from the bowsprit and now stood on the deck where she had been standing. He stared down at some invisible spot on the deck before glancing back up at her.

"Thank you."

Winry frowned in confusion. "For what"

Edward looked back down at the deck. "Thank you. All of you, I mean. For…" he waved his hand, gesturing vaguely at nothing. "For picking up Al and I. I'm not exactly sure we'd be alive right now if you hadn't." He glanced back up at Winry. "You're right, I don't like you. As a whole, I mean. Some of the crew I've met were good men, but… you know." He looked away again before swallowing and looking back to her. "But Al and I owe you our lives. So just… thanks."

Winry stared at him for a while in amazement before nodding to him with a small smile. "I'm not exactly the one who gave the order, but I'll pass the message along."

Edward just nodded, once again studying a very interesting knothole between his feet.

"We're hitting port early tomorrow."

His head jerked back up as she spoke again.

"Don't stay up too late. You and I are getting off first and looking for a good shipwright. I'll have to see if Granny knows any… Anyway, don't stay up late! You're getting up early, you hear me?"

Edward nodded. "Aye."

Winry nodded and turned back to the door leading to the blood room, where they both had their hammocks. "I'm going to bed. Don't wake me up coming down."

"Aye."

She waved absently before disappearing below deck. Edward turned back to the sea and watched the stars for a while. _Looks like we're heading north… didn't know that ship went so far south._ He yawned before turning to go to bed himself.

… And nearly plowing into his little brother.

Edward jumped and staggered back a few steps before glaring at Alphonse. "Don't DO that, Al!"

Alphonse said nothing, but had a rather smug grin on his face. "That conversation seemed to go well. Glad to see you're getting along with most of the crew."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Push off, Al. I'm more or less stuck here anyway. And I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Move."

Alphonse didn't move. "I see you and Winry seem to have come to terms."

Edward scowled at the tone in his brother's voice. "Meaning what?"

Alphonse grinned back. "Nothing. You two just seem to be on much friendlier terms than you once were."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "What bilge are you implying, Al?"

Alphonse just shook his head and turned to leave, still grinning, but claimed he was tired and going to bed. Edward scowled at his brother's back until he disappeared below deck himself before sighing and casting one last glance over the rail at the dolphins.

He watched them for a while before they grew bored with the game that was the ship and left to find something else to chase. He watched them go until they disappeared into the night-blackened waters before heading below deck himself, Winry's words echoing in his mind.

_Despite all that they go through, all that they don't have, they have each other, and know there's always someone looking out for them._


	6. Port Royal

The sun wasn't even fully up yet when Edward felt Winry shake him awake. He supposed she was in a better mood towards him since their talk the night before, and opened one eye to look up at her with a questioning mumble.

"Up," she replied. "We're coming into port."

She stepped out of the way as he rolled out of his hammock and stumped over to the small wash basin Winry had apparently filled with water when she'd woken up. With a quick glance over at her, he lifted the bowl and dumped the entire contents over his head. As expected, the water was cold and he was a little more awake now. Shaking the water out of his face, he grabbed the towel Winry held out to him and began to dry himself off.

She watched the spectacle with a raised eyebrow as he shook out his hair and scrubbed at it with the towel, then shrugged and headed above deck, calling down for him to do the same.

Edward tossed the towel onto a peg and grabbed his shirt from a peg near his hammock. He'd soaked it the night before, and it still smelled of vinegar, but he pulled it over his head anyway, leaving his vest for now and grabbing a thin leather thong Hughes had given him the day before when the string he used to tie his hair with broke. Hurriedly yanking his boots on, he hurried to catch up with Winry, emerging on the deck with the thong in his mouth, still gathering his damp hair.

She wasn't anywhere to be seen, but he spotted Mustang and Hughes near the bow, discussing plans. He finished tying his hair and jogged up to them. Hughes grinned, seeming to read the question on his face, before nodding up the main mast.

"Morning, Ed. Winry's above."

Edward nodded and turned to leave when Roy raised an eyebrow at him. "You smell like vinegar, Mr. Elric."

Edward nodded without turning back to face the man. "Soaked my shirt last night."

"Ah," Roy nodded. "Good man. Carry on."

Edward jogged over to the rigging and glanced up to see Winry standing on the crosstree of the foremast, looking out over the bowsprit to the harbor the _Panthress_ was pulling into. He climbed up opposite the mast to her, but she wasn't paying any attention to him. She seemed to be looking off somewhere into the city, a small smile on her face.

He scowled and looked back over the city. Port Royal was where he was born and raised, but he held very few fond memories of the place. He envied Winry a little. Apparently she had no problem returning here, and seemed to have someplace in town to go. A home, perhaps. She did mention that her grandmother lived here, and he was pretty sure that she, and whether he wanted to or not, he as well, were going to be staying with the old bat.

His thoughts were interrupted when Winry spoke. "Roy and Hughes will be making arrangements for a shipwright for repairs. Dominic should still be around; he's the one who always repaired the _Panthress_ when my grandmother was captain. You and I will be going to stay with my grandmother. Hughes and possibly Havoc will be joining us later. Everyone else will likely stay in the inn down the road."

Edward blinked. "Your grandmother has room for Hughes's family, Havoc, and us, but no one else?"

"Oh she has room," Winry assured him. "But I'm not sure everyone will want to stay there. I think Roy's still afraid of her, and Riza will go wherever he goes, and your brother where Riza goes. Fuery doesn't like staying at my grandmother's place very much and Breda and Falman usually go with Fuery, but occasionally tag along with Havoc and stay with us, so it's hard to tell where they'll be." She ticked off all the crew members on her fingers as she spoke, and Edward had to marvel at her balance when she let go of the rope she was holding to steady herself as she ran out of fingers on one hand and ticked off on the other. "Thing is, there are already a lot of people living there as it is, so yes, room can get a little cramped at times. Meals are usually all at our place though. Roy finds it hard to argue when his mouth is full of food."

Edward was a little disappointed at the prospect of being separated from Alphonse in their lodging arrangements, but the prospect of seeing him for meals every day didn't make it too bad. "So who all is living with your grandmother?"

He didn't miss the smirk that flashed across her face for a split second before she replied. "Mostly a few members of the old crew who swallowed the anchor when Granny did. They've always followed her anywhere, even into retirement. Hughes's wife and daughter live with us too."

Edward nodded. "Sounds… interesting."

After the _Panthress_ was docked and Winry had discussed with Mustang which shipwright to talk to (mostly scolding the older man), she hefted her small bag over her shoulder and motioned for Edward to follow. Having nothing more than the clothes on his back, he simply slung on his vest and followed her, looking around at the city as she led him. From what he could tell, not much had changed, and yet at the same time, a lot had changed. It was odd, returning to a hometown he hadn't seen in many years. Admittedly, he had hoped to keep it that way, but here he was. When Winry passed through his old neighborhood however, he was unable to mask his surprise. She stopped when she couldn't hear his footsteps behind her anymore and walked back to him, wondering what was wrong.

"They haven't rebuilt on it…" he murmured quietly. She followed his gaze to an empty lot between two houses that looked like it once held a house itself, but the only evidence of that was a little stone rectangle of a foundation. All the rest of the house had been burned to the ground.

"Should they have?" She asked.

He started, apparently not aware he'd spoken out loud, before simply replying. "I lived here. I never had any intention of coming back, so if they were going to rebuild it for me, it would have been a waste of their time. I think they knew that." With that, he turned away from the property and left, saying no more on the subject. Winry looked after him curiously, but respected his silence and kept her mouth shut.

* * *

Vinegar – Disease spread quickly on a small ship, so there were many measures taken to prevent it in the first place. Decks were often scrubbed with vinegar to kill germs, and sometimes sailors even soaked their clothes in it, hence why Ed soaked his shirt in vinegar the night before.


	7. Family

Edward's thoughts began to drift the farther they walked. He noticed her pause for a bit in front of the churchyard to gaze at a certain grave, but from the distance he couldn't tell which one. That and he was currently occupied with staring at his mother's grave. Noticing Winry moving on again, he muttered something under his breath and followed her. He would have to remember the path that Winry took from here. After all, while he was here he could at least have the decency to visit his mother's grave. Maybe bring Al with him if he wanted to come. Sighing, he continued to follow Winry, who tossed a slightly concerned gaze at him over her shoulder, but he waved her off and she shrugged and kept walking.

He was slowly growing more and more uncomfortable in the direction Winry was leading him. Red lights were becoming more prominent. Nearly every building, house, and even the occasional inn seemed to have a red light out front. He shuffled closer to Winry, not sure if it was out of some random chivalrous desire to protect her, or if the area was just making him nervous. He didn't really like the way all the women hanging out of various doorways were looking at him. Some of them were even looking at Winry! He looked around and could see that the opposite was true; many men were ogling Winry from a distance, and to his horror, some men were also ogling _him_.

A very, very mild sense of relief washed over him when they started going into the more... high class area. There were just as many red lights, but the buildings didn't look nearly as run down, and the women were still hanging out of the doorways, but dressed nicer. He was amazed he hadn't complained to Winry yet about her choice of roads, probably because he was too shocked to speak at how she was calmly walking through this area like she did every day.

Of course, given this town, she probably did, growing up.

His train of thought came to an abrupt screeching halt as Winry stopped in front of what appeared to be a very well kept inn, the paint was fresh, it was large and clean, and Edward wondered briefly why such a nice place was in this neighborhood. Until he noticed why his train of thought really had stopped abruptly. In addition to the normal lighting, there was a red light shining above the door.

Oh hell.

"You live in a...?" he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Winry sighed, she had been expecting this. She glanced back at her companion over her shoulder and replied evenly, "Yes, I live in a brothel. No, I do not work here, so don't even bother asking. This is just where I was raised, and the people here are nice. So be polite."

After a little bit of incoherent sputtering, in which Winry took the time to open the front gate and drag him through it since his legs no longer seemed to work, he managed to get out a weak, "I thought we were staying with your grandmother!"

"We are."

"Oh." He wasn't sure if he was comforted by that or rattled even more. This was going to be a long stay.

He glanced up when Winry opened the door and stepped inside, turning and practically dragging him in after her when his legs still refused to work.

"Anyone home?" She yelled into the empty foyer.

"Winry?" a voice sounding too young to be "granny" filtered down from the stairs, and a woman with short blonde hair appeared at the top of the flight. Her green eyes lit up considerably when she spotted them. "Winry, is that you?"

Winry grinned. "Hello, Clara. Everyone home?"

Clara grinned back. "Of course!" She turned to the rooms behind her and called out for the whole building to hear, "Cap'n, Rose, Elle, Gracia, Maria, everyone! Winry's home!"

A large black and white dog bounded down the stairs towards the two, followed by a young girl no older than five or six, who immediately clamped onto Winry's leg, shouting that her big sister was here. Edward guessed this to be Elysia, Hughes's daughter.

He glanced back up in Clara's direction to see that there were now quite a few women beginning their descent down the stairs to greet Winry. There were a few more women than Clara had named, but he guessed she was just too excited to say everyone's names. He watched from the side as they all crowded around Winry, each asking her about where she'd been, or how she was doing, and how much she'd grown, and other basic inquiries. They seemed to all think of Winry as their little sister (except for Elysia, of course), and treated her as such. She was definitely liked here.

Then Clara looked up at him and brightened some more. "And look at the choice lad she's brought with her," she purred.

Oh, damn it all.

Edward swallowed and took a careful step back as more of the women eyed him at the remark. Thankfully a couple of them looked like they just worked in the kitchen and not in the rooms, and they just looked on in curiosity. The other women however, seemed to have taken a bit of a liking to him, particularly Clara. Damn. Damn damn _DAMN_.

As he backed away, Clara and a voluptuous woman with thick black hair and a VERY low black dress came closer to him. It was Clara who looked over at Winry. "Is he yours?"

Winry shook her head. "He's just my assistant."

The other woman spoke then, her voice as thick and sensuous as velvet. "So he's available?" She smirked when Edward found himself against a wall and reached out to trace his collarbone with a velvet gloved finger, obviously amused at how he turned very red and shrank back from her touch, clearly trying to avoid staring at the tattoo between her breasts. "I like them young."

Clara smirked. "Think he's ever done it?"

"Clara. Elle. He is clearly not a paying customer, so leave him be. You're scaring the poor lad to death."

Elle backed off without complaint, but Claire pouted a little. Once they were far enough away, he sidled away from the wall and practically hid behind Winry, who turned at the new voice and grinned. "Hi, Granny! I'm home!"

Edward turned to the person Winry addressed, and out of all he was expecting to see of the infamous Pinako Rockbell, the image that greeted him certainly wasn't it. The woman was just barely half as tall as he was. But she was no less intimidating. She still looked every bit the part of the pirate captain whose name was only said in whispers when he was growing up, and proved it when she began to bark orders to all the girls in the room.

"Rose, Gracia. Grab us a drink. Elle, make sure Winry's room is fit to live in; bloody place hasn't been dusted in months. Claire, stop ogling the lad and get back to your cleaning. Elysia, show both Winry and the lad to the sitting room. I'll join you shortly."

Edward cautiously moved from behind Winry as soon as Claire had left the room to stare in awe at the efficiency that was Pinako's establishment. Even Elysia seemed to have a job! He felt a gentle tug on his hand at that thought, and looked down to see Elysia grinning up at him.

"This way, please." She chirped, tugging both Edward and Winry along behind her. She led them to a small but comfortable room with a large desk with a luxurious chair on one side and two less ornate but just as comfortable chairs on the other side. Winry sat in one of the smaller chairs and Edward followed her lead, looking around at the room, which appeared to be a study, and he busied himself with looking over the titles of the many books, hoping he'd get a chance to possibly read some of them during his stay.

If for no other reason than to hide from Clara and the other girls.

"Miss Rockbell will be with you shortly," Elysia called from the door before giving Winry a happy wave and closing the door. Edward visibly relaxed the second the door was closed, and Winry couldn't hold in a small chuckle. He glared at her.

"What?"

"Didn't expect you to be a shy one," she replied. "You looked about ready to either bolt or dig a hole."

He scowled at her. "You could have warned me."

"You never would have come if I did."

His scowl deepened and he huffed and sunk into his chair. "Aye. As is well."

"You'll be used to it."

He regarded her like she was crazy. "I do my possible, which that is not."

Winry simply shrugged and said no more on the subject. Edward would have said more, but at that point the door opened and Pinako herself walked in. "Let's have no harsh words now, Winry. The lad be yours, and he'll follow orders better without 'em."

Winry nodded. "Aye. But you try dealing with him for a day and see how long you can go."

Pinako settled herself in the overstuffed chair opposite them and leveled her granddaughter with a look. "Be that as it may, he clearly has no disrespect for you, but those be my words and bloody end to them as shall gainsay me."

While her words sounded harsh, Winry seemed to take them as nothing more than friendly advice and nodded once. "Aye."

Pinako grinned and turned to Edward. "My apologies, I don't think we've ever been properly met. Who be you, and from whence came you?"

Edward blinked. "Edward Elric. I've been many places but I was born here."

Pinako raised an eyebrow. "Elric… You be one of Trisha's boys?"

Edward blinked. "You knew my mother?"

"Aye," Pinako nodded. "Fine woman she was. Taught Rose and Gracia everything they know. She offered to work as a hostess, but I knew she had two boys, and wouldn't let her do so. The kitchen is where she seemed to be the best sort anyway."

Edward relaxed visibly. He knew his mother worked in a brothel to support them while she was alive, and was relieved to learn that she only served food. "I knew her line of work," he began quietly. "It's a relief to know that it wasn't what I thought it was."

"Oh, many asked for her, believe you that. But I change my mind for no man, few women, and take orders from neither. I take care of mine, be they family, crew, worker, men and messmates all. Your mother be the best I ever had. The whole company was present at her funeral. I saw you and your brother then, and today figured you familiar when you walked in with Winry."

Winry blinked at Edward. She had seen the brothers at the funeral as well, but hadn't remembered them until Pinako mentioned it.

"Do you mind me asking lad, what took her down so soundly? None of us knew anything until her death reached us."

Edward sighed. "That's because she was good at hiding it. Al never knew, but I could see signs. She always insisted she was fine until the day I came down to find her on the floor. She spent the rest of her time bedridden."

Pinako nodded once. "Aye. I remember coming to see her during that. Your brother was about, but you were off. She claimed it was a minor sickness."

"Because she never wanted anyone to worry."

Pinako nodded, and chose not to pursue the topic any longer. She engaged Winry in conversation about the crew and the ship, but Edward heard very little of it, still in a haze from the topic of his mother. It wasn't until Winry touched his arm that he noticed it was almost sundown and he hadn't eaten anything yet. She led him to the dining room and left him to himself while she went to talk with the other girls. He heard her mention that he should be left alone, and he was thankful for that.

* * *

Elle - You'll probably recognize many of the names Clara calls, and while a later description clearly gives away who Elle is, I figured I'd explain myself here. I figured I couldn't have a brothel full of girls without Lust as one of them, but the matter of her name was a little hard. Naturally, seeing as this is a pirate story, the chance of someone being named Lust is pretty low, so I decided to compromise and took the first letter of her name, L, and translated it to the name Elle. Which a couple people I know found a little confusing, but I liked it, so it stuck.

"As is well." - Roughly means "as it should be"

"I do my possible, which that is not" - The correct phrasing is "I do my possible, which that ain't," but that just didn't seem to sound right coming from Edward, so I changed it. The rough meaning is either "That's not possible" or "I will not do that."

"-and bloody end to them as shall gainsay me." - To gainsay is to contradict or speak against someone or something. Pinako is basically saying, "and those who say otherwise can go to Hell."

I wanted to make Pinako sound like a hardened pirate, but also at least somewhat educated. Hence why her dialogue is more "pirate speak" than Edward's or Winry's, but Edward is clearly well educated, and I imagine Pinako drilled some education into Winry as well, so Edward and Winry don't "speak pirate" nearly as much as Pinako, and it seems to make them stand out a little more than the other characters, which I'm not sure I like all that much. Granted Alphonse is just as educated as Edward, but he hasn't had as much screen time as of late. He will soon though. This chapter took a while to write because I had to track down all my old pirate novels to look up some phrases I wanted to use for Pinako. Didnt' use nearly as much as I would have liked to, but I'm saving them just in case. :)


End file.
